Your assignments go here. You can work online in this space as well.
To obtain a laptop loan from the FNUniv library, take a screen shot of your U of R registration, and email it to jcliff@fnuniv.ca with a laptop request. If you have any problem, ask Shannon or Trish to help.
Betty Ann Adam spent 29 years with the StarPhoenix, uncovering stories such as forced sterilization of Indigenous women and the infamous ‘starlight tours.’ She wrote the award-winning feature Scooped: How I Lost My Mother and co-wrote the NFB film Birth of a Family. She is a member of Fond du Lac Denesuline Nation and co-chair of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Saskatchewan.
Kerry Benjoe is from the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation. Her journalism career that spans nearly two decades. Her first degree was in English, and she attended the INCA Summer Institute. In 2002, she wrote her first freelance article for Eagle Feather News. Four years later she became the first full-time Indigenous reporter in the Regina Leader-Post’s history. Afte working there for 13 years, in 2019 she returned to school and received her Master of Journalism degree. In 2021 became CBC Saskatchewan’s first Indigenous Storyteller, before stepping into her current position as Eagle Feather News editor.
Tell your classmates about yourself in a personal yet professional tone, written in the third person (eg. Jane is from Mars). Include something about your life, you interests, experience, skills, goals, etc. Upload or create in the Google Drive Workspace folder labelled ‘Bios.’ Use your name as filenames for your photo and writing. Include social media handles, if you have them. If you have any trouble accessing the drive space, talk to Trish or email her at pelliott@firstnationsuniversity.ca
Interview a classmate about something newsy that happened to them. Write a 300-word news story with a simple lede that explains what the story’s about, further details and at least one quote. Upload to the assignment folder in our shared Workspace. Create a file name [name of classmate] by [your name]. Include social media handles, if you have them.
If you have any trouble accessing the drive space, talk to Trish.
Saskatoon homeless count tries to put a face to poverty
Cuthand: Indigenous population growth must lead to increased education
MMIWG Inquiry delays is not holding back the work on the issue
Punchlines and life lessons: sometimes a story is more than just a story
A 300-word news story, with a news release as your starting point.
Write your story in the Day 3 Assignment folder in our Workspace. Click on the plus sign to create a new document.
My name is ____. I’m a journalism student working on a story about _____. I got your name from a press release. Do you have a moment to answer a few questions?
Devices and SD cards are available from INCA
Summer Institute students “scrummed” Jane Philpott in 2018, when she was the minister of Indigenous Services Canada.
You’ve written your professional bio and two news stories in one week. Here are a few points to remember:
Peter Skinner was the Senior Producer for Radio Current Affairs for CBC North in the Northwest Territories and Radio Network Producer for Performance and Current Affairs for CBC North. A former sketch-revue comedian and bar-band drummer with many (deservedly) forgotten combos, Peter began his radio career in 1979 as a technician at CFCF Radio in Montreal. He worked as a radio host (at CJSB in Ottawa), open-line host (at CJAD in Montreal and CBL’s Radio Noon in Toronto), associate producer (at CBC Radio’s Open House and CBC-TV’s Man Alive), network producer (as founding producer of CBC Radio’s Tapestry) and in management (Program Director for the Canadian Forces Radio & TV Network at CFB Baden-Soellingen in West Germany and as Radio Program Manager for CBC North in the NWT and Managing Editor for CBC North). The worst job he ever had was in a ski-pole manufacturing plant, where he lasted for two 13-hour overnight shifts before quitting to become a sound man for another (deservedly) forgotten bar band.
YOU ARE READY FOR RADIO!
Audacity download:
Audacity tutorials – Google Audacity tutorials – there are tons
Audacity exercise
May 23 – Holiday
COPY – The news reader reading a script (20-35 seconds)
SCRIPT / CLIP – A short script and sound clip (30-45 seconds)
RANT – Only the reporter talking. They rely on their notes to create a script that tells the details of a story. (50 sec – 1:10 min)
ACTUALITY – Captured background sound that sets a scene.
VOICER – Your assignment. Telling a complete story clearly and concisely in approx. 1 minute 30 seconds.
ROLES: Reporter gathers information and creates the story. The reporter also write an intro that the news reader reads. The producer ‘vets’ the story (reviews and improves the story). Nothing goes on air unvetted. There should always be a second set of ears and eyes.
There are three types of sentences.
If you write a sentence that has a conjunction in the middle (and, but, if, etc.), then it is too long. Break it up.
If you have a sentence that triggers a second thought (hoping, then, because, etc), then make two sentences instead.
Don’t use a conjunction in the middle of a sentence. It indicates you are linking two thoughts. Avoid it at all costs.
Find an active verb that has action and direction to it.
Not: She was sick. (‘to be’ – a state of being – is the weakest verb in the English language).
But: She was lying on the floor coughing.
Active voice establishes accountability.
Example: Seven kindergartens were closed in 2022 (passive).
The Ministry of Education closed seven kindergartens (active).
Don’t use anything you wouldn’t say in conversation. Don’t write things that you wouldn’t say.
Example: You would not say, “I’m a Yellowknife man.” You would say, “I’m from Yellowknife.”
The Chief initialed an MOU to establish an AIP.
Spell it out:
Wrong: This happened back in 1985.
Right: This happened in 1985.
Wrong: This residence was a safe haven.
Right: This residence was a haven.
Wrong: close proximity, first ever (should be close, first)
Example: think outside the box
Don’t use tired phrases. Find a simple, clear different way to write it.
Tamara is Métis from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She received a diploma in interactive media arts at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon and has worked as a videographer for CBC in Winnipeg and Iqaluit. Tamara was hired by APTN in 2016 as a camera/editor and is now a video journalist in the Winnipeg bureau.
Morning – Intro and Planning, Shooting
Afternoon – Review shooting exercise
Morning – Scripts, Review and plan stories
Afternoon – Nelson Bird, Social media
Morning – Visual storytelling, rethinking stories with pictures
Afternoon – To be confirmed
Morning – Scripting, writing to visuals
Afternoon – Vetting scripts
Performance with Peter and Tamara
Afternoon – Reading scripts on camera
Brittany is a member of Long Plain First Nation. She is a reporter with The Canadian Press and former Winnipeg correspondent for APTN News. A graduate from Red River College’s creative communications program, her work has been published by CBC, the Winnipeg Free Press and the Community News Commons.
Stewart is Global Regina’s Morning News live photographer and truck operator. He is an longtime INCA instructor and student mentor, with longtime working experience in planning, shooting and editing compelling video.
Monday June 6
Morning
10-11 Scripts
11-12 Careers with Brittany and Tamara
1-3:30 work
3:30 wrap
Tuesday June 7
10-12 Lessons
1:30 – 3:30
3:30 Wrap
Wednesday, June 8
Shooting, editing and writing
3:30 Wrap
4 p.m. Radio hosts on zoom with Peter
Thursday, June 9
Shooting, writing and editing
11:30-1:30 FNU BBQ
Shooting, writing and editing
3:30 Wrap
Friday, June 10
Shooting, writing editing
2:30 Final INCA circle with Roland
Crystal, Michael, Micheala, Ryea, Eric
Rebecca, Crystal, Michaela, Rebecca
